Bedlam’s Othello

Following its initial run this past spring, Bedlam has announced an encore engagement of its highly acclaimed production of William Shakespeare’s Othello, directed by Eric Tucker, in which four actors—Susannah Hoffman, Susannah Millonzi, Ryan Quinn, and Eric Tucker—inhabit the play’s 19 roles. With this small cast and Tucker’s stripped-down staging, the racism writhing inside Shakespeare’s Othello has nowhere to hide.

The production has garnered extraordinary critical praise. New York Times critic Helen Shaw included it in “The 10 Most Mind-Altering Theater Moments of 2026 (So Far),” writing that “Tucker’s directorial inventiveness made the whole show a delight,” and that “[Susannah Millonzi’s] pitch-dark fury upended my perception of Shakespeare’s tragedy.” Reviewing the production when it opened in May, Shaw wrote, “If intensity is what you want, then Bedlam’s electrifying D.I.Y. Othello at the West End Theater will fit your needs: Shakespeare’s thriller moves faster than a freight train with broken brakes; I spent so long on the edge of my seat, I actually wrecked my back.”

Charles Isherwood wrote in The Wall Street Journal, “The bare-bones staging and reduced cast might seem to spur perplexity, but in fact the production has an arresting lucidity… Mr. Tucker’s direction has been so thoughtfully worked out to clarify the narrative that the fog of confusion is kept at bay.”

Pete Hempstead of TheaterMania.com called the Bedlam Othello “outstanding theater,” and wrote, “Bedlam gets props for once again letting us see a classic work in new ways.”